February 2011
75 posts
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“Obviously, the reduction in traffic from Google — as from most design changes —...”
– Nick Denton on the new Gawker design, acknowledging a big drop in traffic. Maybe the drop is because the new site is practically unreadable.
[soupsoup]
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Hero Home Up For Sale. Manganaro’s Italian Grocery has been on Ninth Avenue for over 100 years, and now the building is up for sale. The owners insist it isn’t the nail in the coffin for the institution, though, which is credited with creating the hero sandwich and has been involved in a family feud for years with their neighbors—and relatives—Manganaro’s Hero-Boy. ...
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“I should’ve gotten a haircut.”
– Shaggy-haired Luke Matheny graduated from NYU’s Graduate Film program in May—and less than a year later, he was picking up an Oscar or best live-action short. Matheny wrote, directed, and starred in “God of Love,” about a lounge singer who is given love-inducing darts to woo...
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“Does anybody want to hear that I had a successful business and did all these...”
– That’s Bernie Madoff who apparently still thinks he’s a good guy. Now in therapy at the North Carolina Correctional Facility he’ll call home until he dies, the man who orchestrated the biggest Ponzi scheme in history is doing a bit of reflecting. He spoke with New York...
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“This is a different case than one where there is no perceived invitation … This...”
– That’s Canadian judge Robert Dewar explaining why he didn’t give convicted rapist Kenneth Rhodes jail time for raping a 26-year-old woman who was wearing sexy clothing. I was unaware that it is currently 1805 in Canada right now. Thanks to tweeter Alex Leo for the heads up. And what a nice job by...
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“It’s a heady time for language.”
– And so ends the “On Language” column in the New York Times, which has been dissecting words and phrases and the history of terms for 32 years. As times have changed, our words have, too; slang is constantly evolving, and this column earnestly tracked it. For most of its history,...
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Social Media Continues to Reunite Families. Three weeks ago a group of interns from the ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty created Underheard in New York, a project that provided phones with Twitter access to four homeless men. It was meant to “give a voice to the people who needed it most,” while also spreading awareness to the city’s increase in the homeless population. But it did...
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Alex Rodriguez Is Buying a $6 million, Five-Bedroom Apartment on the Upper West Side. In today’s Daily News, Juan Gonzalez points out that, despite getting a break for his misunderstanding of the real meaning of the word “literally”, Rodriguez will get a break from real estate taxes on his home. And he’s not the only one. The 421A program grants tax breaks to condo owners...
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25 People To Avoid On Wall St. List Only Makes Me... →
We currently live in an age where Wall Street bankers are about as popular as contracting leprosy. So the last thing I really ever want to read is a former Wall St. VP on telling you who to avoid if you work on Wall St. Oh, do you NOT work on Wall Street? Do you not get lavish bonuses every year and eat caviar out of hollowed-out elephant tusks? Well, I’m sure you’ll still be amused by tips...
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“I guarantee you I will never be on Craigslist…and I won’t be taking my shirt...”
– New York State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, who is running for the seat left vacant by disgraced ex-congressman Chris Lee, had a little fun at his expense during a campaign announcement yesterday.
-KH
[CapitolConfidential, @azipaybarah]
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“This bench is more Charlie Sheen than Katharine Hepburn.”
– “Sex and drugs a disgrace to the bench.” A bench in Midtown East named after the legendary actress is now a hotbed for “raunch and pot,” reports the New York Post. The bench, which is inside the 1.5-acre Dag Hammarskjold Plaza dog park, was donated by Hepburn’s...
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FDNY Rescue Cat, Seize Hearts of City Residents. The fire that destroyed an apartment building in Flatbush, Brooklyn earlier this week claimed the life of one resident and left close to 50 families homeless. But today, in the shell of the destroyed building, a bright spot: firefighters rescued Fatty Girl, a 3-year-old cat who went missing during the blaze. The cat’s owner begged the FDNY...
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McDonalds Finds Way To Fat-Up Oatmeal. The fast food chain started selling oatmeal last year as a “balanced” alternative to their hot cakes and hash browns. The “healthy” oatmeal featured cream, some diced and freeze-dried fruits, and the option of brown sugar. Power fuel. Now the New York Times’ resident foodie Mark Bittman is taking Mickey D’s—and...
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WatchThe 20 Talk King Carmelo. The day before his Wednesday debut at the Garden, The 20’s Will Leitch and Brian Ries talk the big trade. Do fans have a championship in their near future? Consensus is no.
-KH
[@moneyries, @williamfleitch]
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“In 1950, nearly half of the more than 10,000 New Yorkers living in the heart of...”
– “New York’s Little Italy, Littler by the Year.” Nothing in this article from The New York Times is all that surprising for anyone who has spent time in Little Italy in recent years. Italian-born chefs aren’t the ones filling your cannoli with ricotta in a back room off...
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LOVE Double Double. The New York Times has a story in today’s business section about the popularity and success of the Words With Friends application, but they buried the best part. In 2009, a woman in Chicago hit the “random” option when none of her friends were online to play. She was matched with a man playing all the way in Holland, who shared her word-making skill. They...
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“Tax the rich!”
– City Councilmember Charles Barron attended a speech made by Governor Cuomo at the Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators Sunday night. In true Charles Barron fashion, he (and his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron) stormed down the aisle chanting these simple three words. The crowd joined...
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But Bunga Bunga doesn’t sound scandalous. Enjoy these new words and phrases, or old words and phrases that now have a whole new meaning, curated by Vanity Fair. They frightened us (Watson!); they confused us (Thom Yorke’s moves in “Lotus Flower”). And they shaped this week’s news stories. What words would you add?
-KH
[Vanity Fair]
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This Weather!(Won’t Last). There were people in shorts on the subway today and way more iced coffees than necessary. New York City is enjoying temperatures hovering near 60 degrees, with sun, no clouds, and no snow. Carol Cain tweeted our thoughts: “Living on the wild side-no coat on today!” But as a wise man once said, “nothing gold can stay”—which is why...
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WatchFinally—something to make Ken Jennings look human. The 20’s Carol Cain and Ryan Davis discussed the supercomputer’s skill and power at taking down two mere human champions on Jeopardy. And, for something fun, they got to ask possible unanswerable questions for the know-it-all database (like, why did Trebek shave his mustache off anyway?).
-KH
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“Magic/Bird” is being developed by the producers and writer of the current...”
– From the “Frost/Nixon” school of bad play titling comes this upcoming Broadway idea that already has me nauseous. Listen, I know Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were all buddy-buddy, but enough already. Okay? I don’t need a play about this starring Kenan Thompson and Jon Heder (and you know darn...
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“It’s not your grandfather’s NASA.”
– Because that NASA actually went to the moon. Adam Lisberg wrote up about the city’s plan to have a NASA lab—yes, of spaceships and moon boots—try to fix their “sputtering” 911 service, which is undergoing an expensive revamp. The $2 billion upgrade is currently...
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No. Nobody Is “Overdue” for One of These. Ryan Davis links out to a story on The Huffington Post from a Seismologist who says New York City is due for at least a 5-magnitude earthquake “anytime soon.” The last quake to hit the city was in 1884, hitting in the water between Brooklyn and Sandy Hook, New Jersey—a time when there were far less large buildings to damage.
“We can expect it any...
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Skipping out on your bill means automatic detention, right? Hey Kids, you hate school lunch? So do your teachers. Some representatives from the United Federation of Teachers allegedly tried to skip out on their bill at a swanky Albany restaurant this week. The Daily News reported that, after one member threw a fit over the size of the quail he finished in his $40 prix fixe meal (too small),...
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Feeling Groovy? Not So Much. In December, Mayor Bloomberg announced the plan to rename the Queensboro bridge for former Mayor (and star host of The People’s Court) Ed Koch—despite his never even living in the Borough. Bloomberg said Koch, like the bridge, is “a resilient, hardworking New York City icon that’s been bringing people together for a long time – and will probably ...
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Book Spy Blog Will Force All Of Us to Read... →
Ever read a book on a train and become stricken with the fear that someone has glanced at what you’re reading and is prepared to judge you for it? Well, your fears were well-founded.
The existence of this blog means you’ll now have to either tuck that Steve Harvey book into a Tolstoy novel or, even worse, read actual Tolstoy. This blog is evil. Just let me read my Motley Crue biography in peace,...
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“I actually put ice in my beer.”
– That’s New York City mayor and apparent Communist Mike Bloomberg, proving he has absolutely no connection to regular human beings by telling reporters that he puts ice in his beer, which is only slightly less repugnant than putting ice in your milk. Someone please fly this man (at his own expense)...
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Yes, That Really Was a Daytime Meteor Splashing Across the Sky. Yesterday afternoon people across five states saw suspicious flashes of light in the daytime sky. It was confirmed last night to be a meteor - a rarity in the daytime. One scientist said he suspects it was the size of a car and, based on it’s trajectory, landed in the Atlantic Ocean.
-KH
[NBC New York]
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“Um, how does one say this politely? Maybe it’s time for Bob Dylan to pack...”
– That’s Robert George sticking it to Mr. Dylan after his, well, interesting performance at last night’s Grammys. The gravelly-voiced icon made it through his song with a backing band of scruffy men, but it all looked a bit… chaotic. And it was still not as fun as Soy Bomb.
-KH
...
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WatchThis Valentine’s Day, Go for the Heart. And Then Slice It and Add Red Onion. Here’s chef Chris Consentino cutting a heart into bits and then eating it. Not in the metaphorical way you felt during your last breakup, but actually cooking and eating a heart. As Drew said, “Love may be fleeting, but the rich mouthfeel of beef heart will never leave you.”
-KH
[The Feast, the20s]
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“Put another way, as the number of initial public offerings steadily declines,...”
– That is Felix Salmon discussing what he feels will be Wall Street’s “dead end” in an op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times.
[NYT]
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New York Sleaze of Mind. It all started with former Governor Eliot Spitzer’s penchant for call girls, an extra-curricular activity that led to his resignation. @azipaybarah links to an article in today’s Daily News that highlights the recent scandals knocking down New York’s politicians.
Their tally: After Spitzer, there was alleged tickle monster Eric Massa; Staten...
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The 20s: AT&T Will See Your Verizon iPhone and... →
You know how AT&T just lost their only reason for being now that you can get an iPhone with Verizon coverage? Well, the company has a countermeasure prepared: throwing free minutes at you. If you own an AT&T iPhone, SMS “yes” to 11113020 and you’ll get 1,000 free minutes. Right now. Sure, it’s kind of a hollow gesture, given that you probably need a discount on your data plan more than...
